This Isn't Our Last Goodbye
by Hyuchiha Ruki
Summary: Sakura will wait for Sasuke because he promised her that he’d be back and they’d meet again… And Sasuke keeps his promises.


I just got a little inspired to write this fanfic when I heard of a story about a wedding that was waiting for the groom for hours end. There was a thunderstorm. Seven hours later, the groom arrived, soaking wet. He said that his car was stuck in traffic due to the storm and he was almost three cities away! So he got out of the car and walked to the wedding instead… alone. He loved the bride that much. Aw. Hehe.

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

Note: If I don't get that enough feedback or hits soon, i think i'll delete this story. if it isn't worth it, why did ie even post it?

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Sakura ran her fingers down the wedding dress she had on.

The hem was trimmed with lace and the silk veil over her head felt lighter than air.

She was getting married in a few minutes… but she wasn't smiling at all.

Walking around her bedroom, she knew that soon, she'd be moving to another house… Lee's house, to be exact.

Yeah, she was getting hitched with him. She thought he'd be dating someone else and all, but she guessed wrong.

Just a couple of months ago, Lee went over to her and asked her the very words she wished he'd never say, "Will you marry me?"

Obviously, Sasuke was long gone and since then, no one has ever mentioned him again.

But, not her. She still loved him like how she always did. Ino managed to get over him once she finally found a guy to twist around her finger. When Lee proposed to her, she went numb. She couldn't believe that Lee actually loved her that much.

Yet, Sakura didn't have the heart to say no. And when she agreed, she regretted it since she didn't feel anything towards Lee and they weren't even dating. For once, she felt absolutely stupid.

Sakura bent down and drew open a drawer that stood by her bed. She was surprised to find a small, tampered spiral notebook with a letter-coded lock. She picked it up, feeling every detail from its dusty cover down to the sharp edged rings.

'My Diary' read on the cover, 'Property of Sakura Haruno'.

With a long face, Sakura touched the rusty lock and began to punch the buttons that corresponded to the letters of her desire. She knew the code really well and she never had an intention to change it.

S-A-K-U-R-A-U-C-H-I-H-A.

That was the code. Simply, she based it on a wild wish and an impossible fantasy.

The lock clicked and soon, she found herself prying open the pages of the diary, leafing through every fragile page.

"This was my diary back at my Academy and genin days…" Sakura muttered to herself.

Flipping to a random page, Sakura read on…

"_Dear Diary,_

_I passed the Graduation Exam with flying colors! Yeah!_

_It was kinda easy, actually. It was simply the transformation technique. Not a problem!_

_When I finally got my headband, I was so happy! I'm finally a genin! And it only took me a year._

_A lot of other kids got to pass the exam… and Sasuke was one of them!_

_He's a smart student, after all. He's just so quiet and a lot of boys mock him for that._

_Majority of the girls, on the other hand, (including me) are always swooning over him. Well, he is good-looking. But Ino was the worst case._

_Man, that girl practically drools on his feet. That porker…_

_She says I haven't got a chance against her when it comes to Sasuke. Hah! I'll show her._

_We even made a bet today: Whoever can get Sasuke to smile at her can marry him when we're old enough!_

_I'll win that bet HANDS TIED DOWN!_

_Good Night!_

_Sakura"_

Smiling at her innocence towards her infatuation as a child, Sakura snickered. And with that, she flipped to another random page. It was a few weeks after the entry she first read…

"_Dear Diary,_

_I am so mad today! Argh!_

_Remember the bet Ino and I made up the other day? I can't believe it! I lost!_

_No, Sasuke didn't smile at her. He smirked at her, pitying her or maybe embarrassed for her!_

_She was walking through a sidewalk and it was a coincidence that Sasuke was there, too. That pig must've schemed something up._

_Ino 'accidentally' fell onto the pavement! The guys rushed to help her up, like always, then THERE IT WAS!_

_Sasuke witnessed the whole thing and he had a smirk on that clearly said 'Some clumsy girl you are to fall over your own feet!'._

_Then, when Sasuke was long gone, she got up and walked to me. Then she spat these words into my face:_

"_It's over, Billboard Brow! I win the bet! You saw Sasuke smile at me. I get to marry him!"_

_Then, she laughed at me a little. I wanted to cry there and there, but it would've been really humiliating._

_I don't care if she won that bet. I'm going to marry Sasuke one day and nothing can change that!_

_See ya!_

_Sakura"_

The last sentence hit Sakura's heart. Right now, she wished that statement was true… especially now. Only now did she realize that even before she even understood love, she already loved Sasuke that much.

Once again, she turned to another crinkled page and began to read…

"_Dear Diary,_

_Imagine my luck: Sasuke's my teammate! Cha!_

_But, imagine my misfortune to also have this dunce and annoying pest named Naruto Uzumaki. I remember him from the Academy, though. He was the idiot who couldn't graduate._

_Ino ended up with two guys that seem to be their family friends. Serves her right! I gave her the ribbon back just this morning. She looked humiliated back there._

_Anyway, our formal training starts tomorrow. My new sensei, Kakashi said it's kind of a test. Whatever it is, Sasuke and I can take it!_

_Good Night!_

_Sakura."_

Heaving a sigh, Sakura noticed that the diary entry was probably written on her first day as a genin. Turning to another page she casually chose, Sakura read another diary entry from her genin days…

"_Dear Diary,_

_My writing is smeared and all because I think my tears are falling onto the ink._

_Yeah, I'm crying. Well, we were sent to do a mission, remember? And it turned out that it was riskier than we thought._

_We got attacked today, along with Mr. Tazuna, the one we were protecting from the assassins. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei and I tried what we could to stop them from hurting Mr. Tazuna._

_There was blood (a lot of it), some chaos… and some tears. Sasuke and Naruto went to fight one of the attackers (a boy in a mask. I think he's one of the assassins' assistants or something). Naruto was still standing after that… but Sasuke…_

_He was on the ground, cold and bruised all over. There were senbons sticking out everywhere. I felt his skin… and it was so chilly._

_We were all actually convinced that he was dead._

_I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't. I couldn't accept the fact that I had lost Sasuke… and I couldn't do anything about it._

_But, as I held him, he suddenly mumbled. He was alive! I was so glad!_

_When we got back, he was feeling better. I was so relieved to find him alive._

_I guess I'm still crying tears of joy. How weird…_

_Anyway, I have to go. Dinner's in 15 minutes for me._

_Soon to write again,_

_Sakura."_

"Tears of joy, huh?" Sakura muttered to herself. The words echoed through her room. She heaved an even heavier sigh then, out of old time's sake, she flipped to another random page. She promised that it would be the last page before she rushes back to her dressing room…

"Hey… what's this?" Sakura asked as she looked at the diary page. The writings were written with black calligraphy ink (All of her diary entries were written with a metallic pink pen) and it was definitely not her penmanship…

"_Sakura…_

_I heard you're getting married tonight. Congratulations. You're not gonna be Sakura Haruno anymore… You'll be Rock Sakura._

_I'm not making fun of it. I'm actually kinda happy for you. You finally found the right path for yourself. _

_Anyway, I came back to Konoha after successfully getting rid of both Itachi and Madara. I had nowhere to go anyway. But, I knew that no one would take me in. I heard that the Uchiha part of the village has been abolished. I'm not exactly welcome here, I assume._

_Then, I remembered you. I was thinking… maybe you'd take me in. Well, at least until I had somewhere to go to. I was hoping you still cared. I was hoping I still mattered to someone._

_But, I guess I hoped wrong. That's the case now._

_I just want to say thanks, Sakura. I know I've been a jerk and my priority was power and avenging my clan's death. I realize now that those are really the least of my worries. I was wrong… I've always been wrong for so long._

_And even when I pushed you around and neglected you, you still stood up with me and sometimes, for me. Not a lot of people would bother to do that for someone like me… not even my father did when he still could. Only you did._

_Forgive my being dramatic-sounding or whatever. I can't help it._

_So, I just happened to be passing your house when you were in the other room. Wouldn't it be rude of me not to at least write a goodbye? Uh, about this diary… I kind of stole it back when we were genin, I admit. It was never lost. I'm sorry._

_I brought it with me everywhere. I have reasons, so read first before you go looking for me, trying to kill me for this. I knew that once I go to seek Itachi, I wouldn't be back anytime soon. So, I decided to take it to remember you always._

_And don't worry, I respect your privacy so I didn't read a single diary entry even though I know the code. That code won't be coming true any time now, no Sakura?_

_Right now, I'm on my way to another village. Maybe I'll end up somewhere there. It won't do me good if I stay in Konoha any longer. _

_I'll probably be back some day, but I suspect that by then, you'll be celebrating your child's 18__th__ birthday. That's understandable, I guess._

_I'm on my way out of the village. We'll see each other again… I'm sure of that. I'll try to drop by at your wedding tonight. But, I'm not sure if you'll see me. _

_See you, Sakura._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Sasuke_

_By the way…"_

The letter ended there. The portion of the page after "By the way…" was torn off. Sakura flipped through the pages of her notebook, wishing that by chance, the torn piece would be there. But, it wasn't. With that, Sakura reread the last few parts of Sasuke's letter.

And there, she knew that only now did she truly lose him.

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"An outdoor wedding! How beautiful!" one of the guests exclaimed.

Yes, Lee and Sakura's wedding would be held under a tall and broad cherry blossom tree. There, the petals flew everywhere. The breeze was fresh and the lake nearby made everything look romantic.

And Gai had everything set. The sunset would look absolutely wonderful at the horizon so he managed to time the sunset to the 'You May Kiss the Bride' line so the kiss would look ultimately… youthful.

"Attention, everyone!" Lee announced in front of all the guests, "Our wedding will take place in a couple of minutes. Please take your seats. The lovely bride of youth is just on her way here!"

With that, Lee proceeded to Gai then asked in a panic, "Where's my lovely flower of youth Sakura? She should've arrived 15 minutes ago!"

Gai patted Lee's shoulder in comfort then explained, "She went to her house. She said she needed to take one last look at everything first. You know how materially attached women are unlike us men. We're macho." (A/C: I'm a girl myself so don't think I'm insulting anyone.)

Lee smiled then nodded, "Alright. I'll wait for her a while longer."

But, Sakura appeared before Lee. "Sakura!" Lee exclaimed, "My flower! Your make-up is ruined! What happened, my precious?"

"Lee," Sakura tried to speak, "We need to talk,"

"We can do that later! Get your face fixed!" Lee said, panicking, "The wedding must go on!"

Sakura heaved a sigh then muttered, "Lee… our rings won't be worn…"

Confused with the metaphor Sakura used, Lee hurriedly said, "Not yet, of course! We'll wear the rings later at the ceremony!"

Shaking her head and next to tears, Sakura tried again, "No! What I meant is… my name won't be changed tonight."

Lee laughed, "Of course! It'll still be Sakura but you'll just have 'Rock' placed instead of…"

"Don't you get it?" she screamed, "The wedding won't get on! I'm canceling it!"

Staring back at her, Lee asked, "But… why, Sakura?"

Sakura gave another sigh then tried hard to explain it right, "Lee… please understand. I… I…"

But, before she could even continue, something caught Sakura's eye. She noticed a tall and mysterious shinobi standing by the lake. He stood against the setting sun, making the gold beams strike him from behind.

Immediately, Sakura recognized him. It was Sasuke Uchiha.

Lee still looked at her, waiting for her answer. But her gaze was fixed on Sasuke who was a few yards behind Lee.

Sasuke waved at her, not a smile on his face. He took out something from his pocket. It was a small piece of paper, neatly folded. Sasuke left a light kiss on the paper then gently placed it onto the grass in front of him.

One last time, he looked at Sakura then gave out a tiny grin.

"S-Sasuke!" Sakura couldn't help it. She screamed his name out with the tears flooding out of her eyes.

With those words, she watched Sasuke disappear. He hopped away and she wasn't able to follow him with her eyes. Just like always, he was fast.

Lee looked behind him and because he was a minute too late, he didn't see him. "Sakura," Lee said, "Are you seeing things?" He rushed to where Sasuke was. He looked up, down, left and right. He left nothing but that little piece of paper on the grass.

Sakura stood there, not making a move. More tears fell from her emerald eyes. She didn't want him to go.

But then, she was jolted by a warm huff of breath that she sensed from behind her.

"…Hey, Sakura…" the voice, masculine and deep, greeted.

Her eyes grew despite the tears that clouded her vision. She turned her head slowly, hoping that her guess was right. Yes, she was right.

"Sasuke…?" she whispered, choking on her tears, "…Is it… really… you?"

The dark avenger didn't answer. He just smiled at her then mumbled back, "Don't cry. It hurts to see you cry like that."

She couldn't help it. She clenched her fists as Sasuke looked deep into her eyes. "…I wouldn't cry if you won't go…" she said.

"Hey, don't get me involved here," Sasuke muttered as he wiped her tears with his thumb, "It's your life, your decisions. You should make good choices and all. I made a lot of mistakes and you wouldn't want to end up like me."

Sakura nipped her lip. She couldn't move, actually. She was listening to herself sob and hiccup. Lee hasn't returned and right now, it didn't seem to matter.

Noticing that it won't take them anywhere, Sasuke nodded then whispered, "Well, I have to go."

With those words, Sakura squinted her eyes and croaked in a pleading voice, "No, Sasuke…"

She raised her arms to grab the front of his shirt but when she did, he managed to grab her wrists.

He firmly held onto her yet he was soft enough not to hurt her.

Sakura just squeezed her eyes shut, letting more tears fall down her cheeks.

He hated to do it, but he had to leave. And as if comforting her, Sasuke let his lips touch Sakura's forehead, leaving a tender kiss for her. His lips felt warm and they did make Sakura feel better.

She opened her eyes then heard Sasuke say, "Good bye. I'll see you again soon." before he let go of her wrists.

Sakura raised her gaze then tried to be assured, "Promise?" Sasuke looked at her with his loving onyx eyes then said, "I promise you, Sakura, that this isn't our last goodbye." Then he left. She began searching for him again but this time, she knew she wouldn't see him anymore.

"My Cherry Blossom!" Lee called, "I found no Sasuke but I found something on the ground."

He handed her the tiny piece of paper she saw Sasuke smack then leave on the grass. Almost shaking, she unfolded it, revealing a neat piece of paper, as if torn from a bigger piece of paper.

There was something written on it and, like Sasuke's letter, it was written in black calligraphy ink. She held the paper in her hands as if it was as delicate as silk.

Once again, Sakura felt tears swell in her eyes as she read the few words that were written on the piece of paper…

"I love you, Sakura. And I mean it."

She held the paper near her heart then thought, 'It's… It's the portion of his letter. Oh, Sasuke…'

And with that, she looked to the sky, watching the clouds turn bronze from the sunset's light. The wind was gently blowing through her hair and soon, she just muttered, "I love you, too, Sasuke…"

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_Sakura and Lee's wedding didn't go on. Lee noticed how much Sakura still loved Sasuke so he decided to cancel it, alongside her. Sakura still keeps her old diary with her, especially Sasuke's last letter._

_Nowadays, Sakura is a medic working in the Leaf Hospital along with Shizune and Hinata. It's been years since that incident happened and until now, she doesn't know where Sasuke is or if he's still alive._

_But, no matter what, Sakura will wait for him because he promised her that he'd be back and they'd meet again…_

_And Sasuke keeps his promises._

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There it is. Reviews are much appreciated and thank you for taking time to read this. This is dedicated to my good friend, BenVsPete. I hope one day, she'll read this. This is an eleven-pager one-shot! Don't you think it's worth a review! :))


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